GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — This latest snowstorm is bringing with it an exceptional amount of moisture. The water is especially critical as parts of the state are in a severe drought and have been since last summer.
In fact, if you squeeze out all the water from this one storm, the Minnesota State Climate Office says it's equal to how much usually falls in the entire month of January.
"In the wintertime, anything we can do to get extra precipitation is helpful," says Senior Climatologist Kenny Blumenfeld.
Whether in the winter or the summer, Minnesota is known for its storms. The state depends on all that water and it's a critical part of its climate.
Bledar Metaj shoveled a fresh, nearly five inches of snow at his Golden Valley home that his Samoyed named Rocky loves. Matej is from Albania, but says he likes living in Minnesota.
"We get intense snowfalls in Minnesota, but this one was pretty spectacular," said Blumenfeld. "It's one of the most potent, from a moisture standpoint, January systems that we've seen."
That's good because part of the state is still in a severe drought with deficits up to 10 inches in some spots. This as 2021 also had one of the worst droughts in recent memory.
Blumenfeld is cautiously optimistic that all this recent snow is at least a start to recharge the soil this spring.
"While it's way above normal for a January winter storm, it really only puts a small dent in that large deficit that still remains," said Blumenfeld.
Any more wet weather would certainly ease any upcoming challenges for farmers and sustain our lakes, as many watersheds and residents have been conserving where they can for some time now.
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